Synopsis

Plot

The episode starts with Gumball and Darwin in the backyard, where Anais has prepared for a party. They run through a field of popping balloons to go eat Anais' cupcakes. The duo manages to take cover, only to confront Anais herself. Even when they succeed in distracting her and eating her cupcakes, they find that her cupcakes were actually lemon and baking soda decoys. After they realize this, Anais blasts them out of the backyard with a bottle of soda and a mint.

The brothers try again on eating her cupcakes, this time by "blending with the crowd." Though they succeed again, they notice the lack of a real crowd and ask Anais about this. Anais sadly reveals she has no friends to invite, although the purpose of the party was to make friends. Gumball and Darwin come up with an idea to create an imaginary friend for their sister, and along with her start imagining. They stop when they see a chimera near them.

When the chimera says that they did create him after Anais asks him about this, they all become excited. Gumball tries to talk with the chimera, but it becomes awkward after he gets scared by the chimera using its nose to high five him. Anais' brothers encourage her to make friends with him, helping her to make eye contact, smile, and talk together. After the chimera and Anais become friends with each other, Darwin declares party time.

Inside the house, Nicole and Richard watch the news and learn of an intruder breaking into houses across the neighborhood. While they learn of this, the chimera continues to have fun with Anais and her brothers. After he sends their piñata beyond the sky, they go back inside to make another. When Nicole sees the chimera, she panics and Richard calls the police. Anais promptly lets them out of the house, thinking that they will be calming down soon.

Instead, the Elmore Police Department arrives on the scene. As the Doughnut Sheriff and Nicole argue with each other and demand the chimera to "release" her children, Gumball, Darwin, and Anais also demand to know why the chimera pretended to be their imaginary friend. The chimera reveals his true story: that he was created by a lonely toy maker, and was best friends with his creator until his death. He wandered the streets and broke into houses after this, trying to look for a new friend. The Watterson kids are swayed and set up traps to protect him when the sheriff informs them that the police will be attacking in in two minutes.

With the two minutes up, the police raid the house, but the traps set are so successful that all the police officers are taken down. The sheriff resorts to sending in Nicole if they do not get out in 30 seconds. This finally makes the chimera leave the house. Outside, he threatens to blow himself up with mints and 3 bottles of soda. The sheriff soon orders his men to fire their tasers at him, and this causes the mints to fall in the chimera's mouth and cause an explosion.

At night, a sad Anais thinks of her friend in the bedroom. But she becomes happy when she sees that the chimera is still alive after his parts reassemble back. The chimera thanks her, and says goodbye. He promises to visit sometime, and they smile at each other as he leaves.

Continuity

This is the second episode to be revolved around friendship. The first was "The Third."

Cultural References

When the Chimera is telling the kids about his early life where was built by a lonely toy maker, and they were friends until the day he died is similar to the 1990 movie "Edward Scissorhands", in which Edward was created by a lonely inventor, they were friends until the day the inventor was about to give him real arms but he died almost instantly.

This episode is largely an homage to the 1999 movie The Iron Giant, in which a nerdy child befriends an enormous robot from outer space. The two stories share major plot points:

When they first meet, Anais and the Chimera teach each other some social graces. In The Iron Giant, the child teaches the giant to talk.

In both The Iron Giant and "The Friend," the townspeople are initially frightened of the giant, and the authorities are sent in to attack.

The Chimera, like the giant, sacrifices himself in an explosion to save the town.

As in the ending of The Iron Giant, the Chimera reassembles himself after being blown apart.

The booby traps set up by the kids to thwart the police are reminiscent of the traps used in the Home Alone movies.

Dash for the Cupcakes

[From the opposite side of the backyard, Gumball and Darwin zero in on some cupcakes on a table; while they run to them, Gumball snags himself on a line, and accidentally pops a balloon, setting of a chain reaction of balloons popping around him and Darwin; the balloons pop like gunfire, and one takes him down; Darwin is taken down afterwards; Gumball regains consciousness, his ears ring]

[Gumball grabs Anais' head, and tries to aim her eyes at the chimera's]

Gumball: I said eye contact- with him!

[Their eyes stretch, and literally make contact]

Gumball: Hm. That'll have to do. Now let's try a smile. Like this.

[Gumball and Darwin smile really wide; Anais copies them, and the chimera smiles back awkwardly; they continue smiling at each other]

Darwin: [Quietly] More teeth! We need more teeth!

[The chimera smiles to the point of almost baring his teeth, and Anais gives a full-toothed smile]

Darwin: Uh… good?

Gumball: [Aside to Darwin] If you wanna make friends with straitjacket. [Aloud] Let's move on to making small talk. Demonstration!

[Cut to the brothers picking food at the table, while Anais and the chimera watch]

Gumball: Oh hi. Oh, I love your hair! What's your secret?

Darwin: Male-pattern hair loss with a sprinkle of stress. So, who do you know here?

Gumball: Oh, I'm Anais' brother.

Darwin: Really? Me, too! [Quietly] She's so weird-looking, right?

Gumball: [Quietly] Yeah. She's like a garden gnome who got her head transplanted from an Easter island statue.

Gumball and Darwin: [Laughs]

Gumball: We both like to have fun at the detriment of others!

Gumball and Darwin: [Dancing] We should totally be friends!

Darwin: Alright, your turn.

Anais: Uh.

Chimera: Uh…

Gumball: Come on. Say something.

Chimera: Uh. I like... hair?

[Gumball sighs in disbelief]

Anais: Uh, here. [Rips off Gumball's hair] Have some!

[Gumball winces, and the chimera eats his hair]

Anais: [Nervously] Hm. Yeah.

Chimera: Oh uh… you have some hair too.

[He tries to pull out some of his, but ends up pulling his head out]

Chimera: Oh uh… [Offers head] here. [Drops head]

Gumball: I'm pretty sure that's not how you make friends. Put it back on.

Chimera: [Puts head back]

Gumball: Okay, you weirdos just say hi, and shake hands.

Anais: Hello.

Chimera: Hi

[Anais shakes his hand, then his hand falls off]

Chimera: Oh man! I'm so sorry.

Anais: No no, wait!

[His hand hides behind his leg, then peeks]

Anais: Don't worry. It's okay.

[The chimera smiles, and tickles Anais with his detached hand]

Anais: [Laughs] Stop, it tickles!

Gumball: It's hard to know how to feel about this. On one hand it's "awwww." But n the other hand, it's [Retches]

Anais: It doesn't matter. I made a friend.

Darwin: Which means it's time to PARTY!

A Criminal?

[Inside the house, Nicole and Richard watch some news; the kids are heard cheering in the background]

News Anchor (TV): Elmore residents are reporting a series of break-ins across the neighborhood with-

Richard: Hey kids! You alright?

Anais: Yeah! We're just playing with our imaginary friend.

Richard: Well, you better leave me some cupcakes.

Anais: Don't worry, he only eats hair.

Richard: Well you better leave me some of that too. I've been saving a space in my stomach right here. [Pushes spot on tummy, submarine sandwich comes out][Pushes back sandwich] I mean right here. [Pushes tummy, whole chicken comes out][Pushes back chicken] I mean- oh, you know what I mean.

Nicole: Sh! This looks important.

News Anchor (TV): …who is said to be over seven feet tall.

[Scene cuts back to the backyard.]

Anais: Now just hold still. [Blindfolds chimera] Good. Okay, and go!

[With just a tap, the chimera unintentionally sends their piñata flying up into the sky until it becomes a star in the sky and disappears.]

Chimera: Hm? [Takes off blindfold] Aw sorry.

Gumball: Nah, it's okay. No harm dooo-

[His hand is missing, and he screams; everyone else screams until Gumball reveals his hand hidden by his long sleeves; everyone sighs in relief, then Gumball hides his hand again and screams; Everyone screams for fun this time, and laughs after Gumball reveals his hand again]

Anais: Come on. Let's go inside and make another piñata. I'm sure the last one made some kids in the south pole very happy.

[Scene cuts back to Nicole and Richard]

News Anchor (TV): And now an update on the terrifying intruder who is breaking in to Elmore homes. Here is a police sketch based on eyewitness reports.

Nicole: Um, guys, I think it would be better if you played inside today. There's a-

[Nicole sees her kids with the chimera; she looks back to the TV, and sees that the chimera is the intruder; everyone gasps and holds their faces with Richard pushing back a pizza coming out of his mouth]

Police Standoff

[The scene switches to a group of police cars and officers surrounding the front yard of the Watterson's house, with police helicopters flying nearby; Richard restrains his wife, while the Doughnut Sheriff watches her try to struggle free]

Nicole: Let me in there! Let me in there!

Doughnut Sheriff: Sorry ma'am, but this is a police matter. We're professionals, you can trust us. [Looks through manual] Okay, let me see… police negotiations. "Police." Is that one word, or two? You know how some people say "pow-lis?"

Chimera: Uh… [Sees Anais' pleading face] oh okay. I was made by an old lonely toy maker. We were the best of friends until the day he didn't wake up. I wandered the streets, then to people's homes hoping to find a friend. Everyone was so scared of me, and chased me away. Everyone… except you guys.

[Gumball and Darwin continue glaring at him, with their arms crossed while heavy streams of tears rush from their eyes.]

Gumball: Okay, that was pretty good.

[He and his brother wipe their eyes]

Doughnut Sheriff: [Megaphone] You have two minutes to comply, or we're coming in!

Darwin: What're we gonna do!?

Anais: Whatever it takes to protect our friend.

[Cuts to them in the living room with rolls of shrink-wrap; Darwin plays some action music]

Anais: What're you doing?

Darwin: I'm setting the mood.

Anais: For what?

Darwin: The bit where we make the traps.

Anais: We've only got two minutes. Faster! [Speeds up the music]

[They quickly set up traps, with some involving putting shrink wrap in place of the window, putting a sprinkler in the backyard, and a pail of water atop a slightly ajar door; Then Anais stops the music]

Anais: Alright, I think we're ready! Everyone in their posts.

Gumball: [Fast and high-pitched] Okay!

[He runs upstairs, full of energy and hits the wall; then he gets up and continues running in place]

Gumball: Sorry, I was in the zone. WHOO!

Raiding the House

Doughnut Sheriff: Okay, on my mark-!

Nicole: CHARGE!

Doughnut Sheriff: Hey, I'm the officer in charge here.

Richard: Didn't you hear her? She said CHARGE!

[Police officers charge to the house, The soda cop pulls the door knob, activates a trap, and gets squished by a washing machine; in the backyard, french fry cops try to go through the backdoor, but become soggy when a sprinkler is activated]

French Fry Cop: It's a mashacre!

[Back in the front porch, the coffee cop sees a rake in the house]

Coffee Cop: Not falling for that trick.

[He jumps through the window, but instead gets wrapped in shrink-wrap; the wrap causes him to fall on the rake, puncturing his bottom, and causing the coffee in him to spill; Earl comes through the door, and goes up the stairs; Gumball then activates the attic ladder trap which slices Earl up; In the kitchen, the hamburger cop spots the pail near the top of the slightly ajar door]

Hamburger Cop: [Laughs] You got me, eh?

[Then he sees it activate another trap, which sends a boot to his face that knocks his head/top bun off; the Doughnut Sheriff comes in, and gasps when he sees his badly hurt officers]

Hamburger Cop: Careful! The guy's a monster.

[The sheriff walks to a door, and tries to grab the greasy knob]

Doughnut Sheriff: Son of a gun, he buttered the doorknob! This guy must be a criminal mastermind. I need to consult the manual. [Reads] "If the situation requires tact and intellectual effort, call someone else." Oh. [Flees]

Doughnut Sheriff: [Megaphone] You've got thirty seconds to get out, or I'm sending in their mother!

Anais: Okay, there's a very slim chance of any of us surviving that. Put your heads together, and come up with a plan!

[Gumball and Darwin bump heads]

Gumball: I got nothing.

Darwin: Me neither.

Anais: Oh, come on guys! We've gotta think of something. They'll never believe he's innocent, and they won't leave him alone for as long as he lives.

Doughnut Sheriff: [Megaphone] STOP RIGHT THERE! Put the soda down, and your hands in the air!

[The chimera is seen out of the house, chugging down a bottle of soda]

Chimera: I drank three bottles of unbranded soda, and I got a whole tube of unbranded mints. So please, just let me go, or else... [Slowly motions to eat mints]

[All the police officers fire their tasers at the chimera; one of the taser's ends hit the chimera's hands, and this makes him drop the mints into his mouth; he explodes]

Doughnut Sheriff: Uh.. wait a minute. No. It says "F.I.R.E: Find the problem, Initiate a dialogue, Reason with the aggressor, and Evacuate the area." Oops.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

[In the bedroom, a sad Anais stares out into the night; then suddenly, the parts of the chimera come together, and reassemble; Anais sees this, and gasps in amazement; The chimera completely reassembles himself in front of her view]

Anais: You're alive!

Chimera: I just wanted to say thank you… and goodbye.

Anais: But you will come back and visit, right?

Chimera: I promise.

Anais: High five.

[She high fives his nose, then watches him leave; he turns around and smiles, and she smiles back; then once again, he continues walking along the road; episode ends]